When a prospect visits your LinkedIn profile, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention and make them want to learn more about the products/services you offer.

This is why your LinkedIn background photo is such a critical piece of real estate on your LinkedIn profile.

The background photo is the area that you see in behind your profile photo. And, by default, this background photo will be a standard teal blue “network” image (like the one you see below).

Unfortunately, many people don’t update this image because they either don’t know it’s editable, or they don’t know what they should put there.

This article is going to show you 5 different ideas you might incorporate to create an “eye catching” LinkedIn background photo.

Background Photo Standards & Positioning

Before I show you some examples of different LinkedIn background photos, let’s talk about how to update it properly.

Firstly, you can change the photo by simply clicking the “Update background photo” link to the right of your personal profile photo.

And you can see on the screenshot that the standard size is 1584 x 396 pixels. So if you’re going to create your own (or have someone do it for you) you’ll want to make sure it’s sized appropriately to fit within the parameters of the LinkedIn profile.

And, another thing that you can do once your photo is updated is reposition it so that it actually fits the space properly (and isn’t obstructed by your profile photo).

And, for more information about HOW to create a custom background photo like the ones found in this article, check out the free training at the bottom of this page.

What Should Your Background Photo Include?

This article is going to address 5 different types of background photos that you can mirror for your own use depending on your business, industry and role type.

The “Pain Point” Background Photo

First, let me start by saying that I highly suggest that you use a “pain point” background photo. The reason being is that if somebody visits your LinkedIn profile, you want to grab their attention and this is a great way to do it.

She is a stress and sleep expert so the “pain point” that she addresses is:

“Are stress and lack of sleep affecting your work and home life?”

Again, this statement is intended to elicit an emotional response. One that her target audience can relate to. And, of course, she also addresses a deeper meaning to this statement by including additional explanations as to how she can help alleviate this pain point on the image.

And, here’s a third example of Azim Dayha’s LinkedIn profile. Azim is an accountant and the “pain point” that he addresses is:

“Does your accountant show you how to save taxes?”

He also chose to include the CPA logo to showcase his professional designation and shows all the different types of industries that he works with.

The “Social Proof” Background Photo

If including a “pain point” in your LinkedIn background photo is not your thing, another alternative would be to include some “social proof” (if you have some to brag about). Traci Bild’s LinkedIn profile is a great example of this. She included a number of media logos in her background photo that showcase all of the publications she’s been mentioned in including Success, BBC, Inc, Fast Company and Huffington Post.

Including these logos in her background photo displays her credibility and instantly instills trust with any prospect that visits her profile.

And, for all of you published authors out there, Greg Chapman’s background photo is a great example of how to incorporate your book covers into your photo. Greg has written a number of books in addition to being an accomplished business coach.

He also chose to include a collage of keywords that I’m assuming help summarize the outcomes that he provides with his services. This is a great example of how an author might design their background photo to stand out from the crowd and showcase their expertise.

Hector is a realtor that specializes in helping his clients find their dream home in Huatulco, Mexico. And, the sunset beach photo that he uses for his background perfectly represents what his buyers can expect when they purchase a property with him.

The “Industry Specific” Background Photo

The fourth example I have for you is the “industry specific” background photo. In this example below, Nelson chose to include an image that represents the financial industry.

While this example is not the best one to choose in my opinion, it is still better than keeping the default “teal” background that Linkedin includes on your profile.

So, there you have it. 5 different ways that you can update your LinkedIn background photo to capture the attention of your prospects when they visit your Linkedin profile. Again, I highly recommend you implement the “pain point” model as it really does a great job of eliciting an emotional response to something your prospect might be experiencing. And, it allows you to follow that with a “problem solving” LinkedIn headline

And, speaking of that, there are a number of other ways you can create an irresistible LinkedIn profile that will have your prospects reaching out to you.

About Trevor Turnbull

Trevor Turnbull is an Online Reputation Strategist, Linkedin Trainer and Keynote Speaker that has educated thousands of Entrepreneurs, Business Professionals and Job Seekers on how to get REAL results from LinkedIn.
Over the past 3 years, Trevor has worked closely with Linkedin expert Lewis Howes and has conducted hundreds of educational webinars on the topic of LinkedIn. His "non-techie" teaching style and extensive background in traditional and online sales & marketing has provide him with the real world knowledge of how to apply LinkedIn strategies that are easy to implement and provide maximum return on time invested.
As a thought leader on the topic of LinkedIn, Trevor has been hired by numerous Fortune 500 companies including General Motors, Raymond James and Bank of Montreal and has been quoted in many major publications including Forbes and Entrepreneur.com.

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